The Energy Co-op and Energy Coordinating Agency Partner to Promote Energy Efficiency
Philadelphia, November 21, 2019 -- Starting December 1st, The Energy Co-op will begin offering its members comprehensive energy efficiency audits performed by certified technicians trained by the Energy Coordinating Agency (ECA), a Philadelphia nonprofit that shares with it a focus on advancing sustainable energy practices.
Now in its 40th year, The Energy Co-op—a nonprofit, member-owned cooperative—supplies renewable electricity and renewable natural gas (RNG), together with heating oil, to thousands of member homes and businesses in southeastern Pennsylvania. It focuses on helping its members sustainably and affordably buy, use, and understand energy through those energy programs, strategic partnerships, and other public outreach.
“We are very excited about working with ECA to offer our members these quality energy efficiency audits,” said Ronald Fisher, The Energy Co-op’s Executive Director. “Not only do we advance our members’ interests by identifying cost-effective, sustainable ways for them to reduce their energy use and costs, but by doing so, we and they help ECA train and employ Philadelphians so that they too can benefit from the transition to cleaner, more sustainable energy sources and practices.”
After 35 years, ECA’s enduring mission is to help people conserve energy and to promote a sustainable and socially equitable energy future for all. The agency maintains a network of Neighborhood Energy Centers, the Heater Hotline, and the Knight Green Jobs Training Center- in addition to retrofitting over 400 homes every year.
ECA’s home energy audit is performed by a nationally certified energy analyst using diagnostic tools that identify every energy saving opportunity in the home. All collected data is modeled to report on low-hanging fruit opportunities as well the key areas that can substantially reduce energy costs. ECA will deliver a comprehensive audit report that not only pinpoints equipment and structural causes of energy waste but also consumer habits that result in higher energy bills. Seasoned energy analysts will provide an in-depth education on how the home uses and loses energy in addition to how the homeowner can modify their behavior to complement their energy efficiency upgrades. With this guidance, consumer behavior and informed use of a programmable thermostat can make a substantive impact on usage and expense.
In addition, the audit report lists measures, including retrofits and best practices, that home and business owners can pursue to reduce both energy waste and utility bills. ECA will also offer fee-for-service retrofits and upgrades to Energy Co-op members who request them following an audit. These may include air infiltration sealing, insulation improvement, furnace upgrades, and window and HVAC repair or replacement.
“Whether helping families and business owners address concerns about clean air, climate change, or hydraulic fracking as we have since 1999, or affordably heating their homes as we have since 1979,” Fisher added, “The Energy Co-op’s nonprofit cooperative model allows us to focus on meeting our members’ energy needs while at the same time benefiting our larger community. Working with ECA is the latest example of that focus.”
“I applaud Energy Co-op’s longstanding work in helping homeowners save money on energy costs and be more environmentally responsible,” said Steve Luxton, ECA Executive Director. “Adding a comprehensive energy audit will provide solutions as to why their bills are high, or identify where drafts are coming from and how to improve the home’s thermal performance. It’s a sure-fire investment that should pay off handsomely.”
Founded in 1979, The Energy Co-op, headquartered on Walnut Street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is a nonprofit cooperative that helps its thousands of members affordably and sustainably buy, use, and understand energy. The cooperative offers renewable electricity, renewable natural gas, and home heating oil to its members.
More information about The Energy Co-op and its programs, including its energy efficiency initiative with ECA, is available at www.theenergy.coop or by calling 215-413-2122. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.
The Energy Coordinating Agency (ECA) was founded in 1984 to create lasting solutions to the energy problems of low-income families. ECA coordinates a network of 15 Neighborhood Energy Centers spanning Philadelphia, with each acting as a one-stop-shop for low income energy services. Directly, ECA works to repair or replace faulty heaters each winter and keep families warm, and completes weatherization to reduce household bills. ECA’s Knight Green Jobs Training Center credentials young people, returning citizens, and the underemployed in clean energy and environmental remediation, opening pathways to opportunity.
For more information about the Energy Coordinating Agency, visit online at www.ecasavesenergy.org, call 215-609-1000, or follow on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn.